It can be far too easy to get caught in negativity in today’s world. We’re surrounded by it in the news, the media and even entertainment. And that’s what makes Mod Sun’s music and message all the more refreshing.

“It’s about empowerment. It’s about saying it’s okay to sit by yourself on a Friday night and make music. You’ll never be lonely if you love the person you’re alone with,” says the rapper, whose name stands for “Movement On Dreams Stand Under None.”

A Minnesota native, Mod grew up in a household that played everything from Bob Dylan to Prince, and that eclectic foundation has informed his musical journey. He started playing drums at age 13,…

I’m a musician first and a human second.I am a workaholic who knows how to have a good time.I love women until they hate me…then I love them more.I live in Malibu, California when I’m not living on a bus or in a hotel room. I have three dogs named Poncho, Joe, and Tambourine, a cat named Nicada, and several unnamed deer that visit me daily. I drive a Hybrid and you should too. I was a vegetarian for 8 years until I met a baked lobster roll I couldn’t resist and have been a carnivore ever since. I don’t have a favorite color and I wonder when that happened because I always…

“Eighteen-year-old Philly rapper Tayyib Ali made a name for himself last fall with his mixtape 18 and this month he’s set to drop his new one, Keystone State of Mind. Maybe it’s the catchy ‘60s lounge sample, maybe it’s Ali’s smooth, friendly flow and honest message, but I can’t stop listening to the title track. “Rap is my life,” he says at the end of the track. “This is what I’m passionate as hell about.” You can tell.” -EC, NYLON MAGAZINE

Denver band Air Dubai is more than the sum of its parts. It’s not about the exciting combination of eclectic genres or even the explosive onstage energy. The group’s appeal lies in its member’s passion for the music they create, as well as their love for the people who come to see them perform. A heady mix of hip-hop, pop, soul, rock and electronic, Air Dubai exists not to fit into one specific category or sound, but instead to create something new and fresh on each album and even every song.

The band’s roots date back to 2008, when high school friends singer Jon Shockness and rapper Julian Thomas decided to create a hip-hop duo using the name Air Dubai. Originally utilizing…